Thomas heney waed



oooooooo GAME APPARATUS.

' FIOJ.

NITED STATES THOMAS HENRY WARD, TIPTON, COUNTY OF STAFFORD, ENGLAND.

GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,352, dated October23, 1883.

Application filed September 15, 1883. (No model.) Patented in EnglandJune 8, 1883, No. 2,670.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRY WARD, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and residing at Tipton, in the county of Stafford, England,have invented a certain improved apparatus to be employed in playingpuzzle or educational games, (for which I have obtained a patent inGreat Britain, dated June 8, 1883, N 0. 2,870,) of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an arrangement of apparatusor means to beemployed in playing a new game, which may be arranged simply as a puzzleor as an assistance in education.

I will explain my said invention, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l of which represents one of the pyramidal pieces,hereinafter described. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 an elevation, of anumber of such pieces arranged upon a tray, table, or holder, as alsohereinafter described.

According to my said invention I provide a number of pyramidal pieces,A, of wood, or other material, each with four equal sides, reckoning thebase as a side, or, in other words, each consisting of pyramids, with anequivalent triangular base. Each of said four sides I will call a face.Upon one, more, or all of these faces is placed some distinguishingmark,say the letters of the alphabet or of a part of the alphabet. The saidpyramids are preferably arranged upon a tray, table, or holder, B, whichis made of any suitable shape and material, and has a raised rim, 1), toretain the pyramids in place, the said tray, table, or holder being ofsuch a size that the said pyramidal pieces fill the said tray, table, orholder when they are all in place thereon. In playing the game or puzzlewith these pyramidal pieces A they are arranged upon the said tray ortable, each placed upon oneof its faces as a base, a space equal to thatoccupied by one of the said pyramidal pieces A being left unoccupied.The said pyramidal pieces A may then be one at a time tipped over, eachto rest upon another of its faces as a base, and thus the said pyramidalpieces A may be caused, one at a time, to change their position on thetray or table. The object of the game or puzzle is, by this tipping ofthe pyramids one at a time into the space which is left unoccupied bythe displacement of the one last moved, to eventually, by this means,bring the said pyramidal pieces A into any relative order that may havebeen previously settled upon. Suppose, as an example, that the pyramidalpieces, as shown in the drawings, are marked upon each of their faceswith the letters of the alphabet from A to X, each pyramidal piece beingmarked with one of the letters. Thus one of the said pieces will bemarked on each of its faces with the letter A, another will be marked oneach of its faces with the letter B, another with the letter O, and soon. The said pieces are then placed upon the tray, table, or holder B,each upon one of its faces, as a base, but in disorder. The object ofthe game or puzzle is, by simply tipping the pyramidal pieces over uponone of the edges of the base upon which it originally rested, to causeit to take up a new position upon another of its sides as a base, andthus to ultimately bring all the pieces into such a position that theletters on the several pieces appear in their correct alphabeticalorder.

It will be evident that an almost endless number of signs, names,drawings, subjects, or other devices or marks may be made upon theseveral pieces, the object of the game or puzzle being to arrange themin any given order or orders, so as to exercise or attain by this meansany requiredknowledge of rela- 'tion or order of the subjects markedupon the pieces; and thus the apparatus may be utilized not only as agame for amusement, but ,one for the education of the player in theparticular matter to which the signs, names, drawings, subjects,devices, marks, or the like relate.

It will be evident that more that one space .may be left unoccupied,which will have the effect of simplifying the game or puzzle.

The apparatus or means for playing puzzle or educational games,consisting of a number of pyramidal pieces, formed as hereinbeforedescribed, and shown at A, which are placed upon a tray, table, orholder, to be arranged in any desired order by tippingfrom one positionto another, substantially as hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

' F. BRAME,

JOHN M. DICKINSON,

THOMAS HEN RY WARD.

U. S. Consulate, Birmingham.

